Boat drain plug



Aug. 29, 1961 A. MOELLER BOAT DRAIN PLUG 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 8,1958 k/Z INVENTOR AXEL MOELLER ATTORNEYS 1961 A. MOELLER 2,997,975

BOAT DRAIN PLUG Filed May 8, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lz u @4 INVENTOR AXEL MOELLER AT TORNEYS 2,997,975 BOAT DRAIN PLUG Axel Moeller, Racine,Wis., assignor to Moeller Mfg. Co., Inc., Racine, Wis. Filed May 8,1958, Ser. No. 733,933 6 Claims. (Cl. 114183) This invention appertainsto boats and boat fittings, and more particularly to a novel plug orstopper for the water drain opening in the stern of a boat.

One of the primary objects of my invention is to provide an improvedexpansion stopper of the general type shown in my prior Patents Nos.2,292,149; 2,315,538; 2,347,835; 2,685,380 and 2,729,353, issuedrespectively on August 4, 1942; April 6, 1943; May 2, 1944; August 3,1954, and January 3, 1956, with a novel means for operating the stopperfrom a point distant from the drain openmg.

In small boats, much difficulty is experienced in placing and removingthe drain plug from the drain opening in the stern of the boat. Usuallythe opening is under and in back of the stern seat. This necessitatesthe bending down and groping for the plug and the tightening andloosening of the plug is uncertain.

It is therefore, another salient object of my invention to provide anovel and efficient means for operating the plug from the front of thestern seat, with a positive means for guiding the plug into and out ofthe drain openmg.

A further important object of my invention is to provide means wherebythe plug, its support and guiding means and its operating rod can beefficiently lined up with the drain opening after the boring of saidopening, so that the easy installation of the device is insured, withcorrect operating results.

A still further important object of the invention is to provide meansfor preventing accidental separation of the plug body from the operatingrod, so that loss of the body is prevented, with means for lubricatingthe threads gidthe operating nut and adjusting screw for the plug Withthese and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novelconstruction, arrangement and formation of parts, as will be hereinaftermore specifically de scribed and claimed, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which drawings,

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view through the sternof a boat showing my novel device incorporated therewith;

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal sectional view through the stern of a boatshowing my improved device incorporated therewith, the section beingtaken on the line 22 of FIGURE 1, looking in the direction of thearrows;

' FIGURE 3 is a detail transverse sectional view taken through my deviceon the line 33 of FIGURE 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, andillustrating more particularly the means employed for holding the plugand its operating rod in a retracted position for permitting thedraining of the boat;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken on the line44 of FIGURE 2, looking in the di- 7 Patent with the body of the stopperto prevent turning of these parts relative to one another, and

FIGURE 7 is a transverse sectional view through the stopper portion ofthe device, the section being taken on the line 7-7 of FIGURE 4, lookingin the direction of the arrows, the view also showing the means forinterconnecting the outer compression plate with the stopper or plugbody.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein similar referencecharacters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,the letter F generally indicates my novel fitting for a boat B.

The boat B forms no part of the present invention and can be of anydesired type or make. As illustrated, the same includes a stern board10, sides 11 and a bottom 12. The boat can be provided with a stern seatnot shown), and the seat can be supported at its forward end bya'transversely extending seat brace board 13. In accordance with myinvention, the stern board 10 has bored therein, at an angle, adjacentto the bottom 12 of the boat, a drain opening 14. The drain opening 14has fitted therein a metal thirnble or sleeve 15 and the opposite endsof the sleeve or thirnble are upset, as at 16, against the oppositefaces of the stern board. The sleeve or thirnble 15 is desirable so thatswelling or contraction of the stern board 10 will not alter the size orinterior diameter of the opening.

My novel fitting F includes a plug 17 for sealing the drain opening, anoperating mechanism 18 therefor and a support and guide means 19 for theoperating means 18 and the plug 17.

The plug 17, as stated, can be of the general type shown in my mentionedpatents, and the plug includes a resilient compressible stopper body 20.This body is provided with an axial bore 21 and the body is confinedbetween inner and outer compression plates 22 and 23. Rigidly secured tothe inner compression plate 22 is "a threaded stem 24 which extendsentirely through and beyond the body 20.

The outer compression plate 23 is provided with an annular skirt 25which receives and confines the outer end of the stopper body. The axialcenter of the compression plate 23 is provided with an opening 26through the threaded stem extends. The plate 23 on each side of theopening 26 is provided with struck in ears 27 which firmly grip the plugbody 20 so that independent rotation of the stopper body and thecompression plate 23 will be prevented. As shown in certain of my priorpatents, the outer surface of the body 20 is provided with annularcompression rings 28.

Threaded on the stem 24 is an elongated adjusting sleeve nut 29 and thissleeve nut at its inner end is preferablyprovided with a bearing head 30for rotatably engaging the outer compression plate 23. If desired, abearing washer 3 1 can be interposed between the plate 23 and thebearing head 30. It is to be noted that a part of the nut 29 extendsthrough the bearing washer 31 and into the plug body. The interior ofthe elongated sleeve nut 29 beyond the threaded portion thereof isenlarged to provide a chamber 32 which can be packed with grease so thatduring the threading of the nut 29' on the stem 24 the threads of thestem and the nut will be lubricated. The forward end of the stem isupset, as at 33, and hence this end is of a slightly greater diameterthan the diameter of the threaded portion of the nut. Hence, accidentalunthreading of the nut from the stem is prevented. This eliminates thepossibility of separation of the plug from the remaining portions of thefitting. The forward end of the chamber 32 is closed by an elongatedoperating rod 34 and the rod can be secured to the nut by means of across-pin 35. Thus, turning movement of the rod 34 can be imparted tothe sleeve nut.

The rod 34 constitutes the main part of the operating portion 18 of thefitting.

The guiding and supporting means 19' for the fitting includes a mainsupporting and guide bracket 36. This bracket is of a U-shape in planand includes spaced parallel longitudinally extending legs 37 and aforward connecting bight or strap 38. The legs 37 are connected andbraced by a transversely extending strap 39 arranged in spaced relationto the front strap 38. The straps ,318 and 39 are provided respectivelywith aligned guide openings 40 and 41. The operating rod 34 slidably androtatably extends through these openings. The rear ends of the legs 37are pivotally connected by rive'ts or the like 42 with angle brackets43, which are in turn secured to the inner face of the stern board bysuitable fastening elements, such as screws. I'he extreme forward end ofthe rod is supported and guided by a cross-brace 44 which is secured tothe seat brace 13. The cross-brace 44 is provided with a bearing sleeve45 or the like for receiving the rod. A suitable handle 46 is connectedwith the extreme forward end of the rod 34 and this handle is arrangedin front of the seat brace 13 and hence is easily accessible.

Coiled about the rod 34 is an expansion spring 48 and this spring isconfined between the inner cross-brace 39 and the sleeve nut 29 andnormally functions to urge the plug '17 into the sleeve 15. Uponloosening of the plug, as will be later set forth, the same can bepulled out of the sleeve by grasping and pulling forward on the rod 34.In order to hold the plug 17 out of the sleeve, the rod 34 is providedwith a cross-pin 47. The front cross-strap 38 of the bracket 36 on eachside of the guide opening 40 is provided with a slot 47' and hence thepin 47 can be pulled through the slot 47 and in front of the bracket 36.The front of the brace 38 on each side of the opening 40 is providedwith a seat 49 and when the pin 47 is pulled through the slots 47 therod 34 can be turned so that the pin 48 will fit in the seats 49 andthus retain the rod 34 in a forward position with the plug out of thesleeve 15.

In the'installation of my fitting, the opening 14 is bored at a downwardand inclined angle and the sleeve is placed in the opening. The bracket36 with the rod 34 and the plug 17 is now placed in position and theangle brackets 43fare secured to the stern board on each side of thesleeve. The bracket 36 can be swung on its pivots 42 until thej rod andplug are' aligned exactly with the axial center of the sleeve, at whichtime the supporting brace 44'is secured'in proper position on the seatbrace 13. By this arrangement, the device can be easily installed onaboatand all parts properly aligned.

In use of my fitting and considering that the plug is out of thesleeve,-t-hen--the rod 34 is turned so as to align its cross-pin 47 withthe slots 47 at which time :the spring 48 will urge the plug into thesleeve. The rod '34 can be forcibly pushed toward the stern board so asto insure the proper seating of the plug within the sleeve. The rod cannow be turned so as to thread the nut 29 on the stem 24. This will bringthe compression plates '22 and 23 toward one another to compress thebody longitudinally and this will deform the body circumferentially andinto firm sealing contact with the wall of the sleeve 15. e v p I p Whenit is desired to pull the plug from the sleeve to drain the boat, it ismerely necessary to turn the rod 34 in a reverse direction to feed thenut 29* toward the forward end of the stem, so as to loosen the plug inthe sleeve. The rod can now be pulled forwardly and the plug will slideout of the sleeve and the plug can be held out of the sleeve by themeansjust previously described.

Various changes in details may be made without departing from the spiritor the scope of this invention but what I claim as new is:

1. In a boat having a stern board provided with a drain opening and aseat brace in spaced relationship to the stern board, an expansion plugfor movement into and .out of the opening including a compressible body,inner and outer compression plates engaging the OPP site ends of thebody, a threaded stem carried by the inner compression plate extendingthrough the body, a sleeve nut threaded on the stem and bearing againstthe outer face of the outer compression plate for moving said platestoward and away from each other for compressing and releasing the body,a forwardly extending operating rod rigidly secured to the nut forrotating said nut and for moving the plug into and out of the opening, aU-shaped guide bracket slidably and rotatably supporting the rear end ofthe rod, a support for the guide bracket secured to the inner face ofthe stern board on each side of the opening, and a front guide andsupport brace rotatably and slidably supporting the front end of the rodcarried by the seat brace whereby said rod is slidably and rotatablycarried and supported in said guide bracket and said supporting brace,whereby turning of said rod will expand and compress said compressiblebody .and sliding of the rod will move said body into and out of theopen- 2. In a boat as set forth in claim 1 and said guid bracket beingpivotally secured to its support, whereby the bracket can be swung to adesired angle relative to the stern board .and to the angle of theopening.

'3. In a boat as set forth in claim 1, and spring means normally urgingthe rod and plug toward the opening.

4. In a boat asdefined in claim 3, and cooperating means on said rod andsaid guide bracket for holding said rod in an adjusted forward positionagainst the tension of the spring with the plug out 'of the opening.

5.. In a boat as defined in claim 4, and said last named means includinga cross-pin on the rod and a seat on the guide bracket for receivingsaid pin when the rod and pin are moved forward. 7

'6. In a boat as defined in claim 1 and said nut having an interiorchamber of greater diameter than the threaded stem and threaded portionof said nut, and the inner end of said stem being upset to a greaterdiameter than the threaded portion of the nut to prevent displacement ofthe nut off of the stem.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNIT-ED STATES PATENTSBaldwin Oct. 20, 1-959

